A disabled pensioner was made to “feel like a piece of garbage” following his treatment by Lynn’s hospital when falling out of a faulty trolley.
Back in June, 80-year-old Paul Ingham visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to have an X-ray on his chest for a heart problem.
What Mr Ingham did not expect from a simple appointment was to be leaving in an ambulance during the early hours of the morning, struggling to walk and with soft tissue damage.
The pensioner from Long Sutton, who has had several hip, knee and shoulder replacements, was lying on a hospital trolley in the QEH’s X-ray department on June 10.
He was told by a nurse that he needed to be standing up for the X-ray to be carried out.
However, once Mr Ingham was getting off the trolley to stand up, he went “flying”, because the brakes were off.
He fell to the floor and was in considerable pain.
“I was in a right state and started crying. I was in so much pain,” he said.
Mr Ingham has made a complaint to the hospital, which has recently been ranked the worst in the country, but has been left unhappy with their response.
However, the QEH told the Lynn News that it takes all complaints and concerns “very seriously”.
While doctors and nurses were trying to get Mr Ingham back on the trolley following the fall, he described seeing a “man in a suit” watching the situation unfold.
“He said, ‘clear this mess up’, it made me feel like a piece of garbage,” Mr Ingham said.
“He said that while I was lying on the floor sobbing my heart out.”
Mr Ingham was later put in a discharge unit and was disappointed that he was not offered any food to take his medication with.
He told the Lynn News he was later offered cold porridge and a yoghurt.
To his surprise, Mr Ingham was then taken home by an ambulance.
“I got home and my partner said, ‘What on earth has happened to you?’” he said.
The 80-year-old was unwell for a few days following his experience in hospital.
Once feeling better, Mr Ingham made a complaint to the hospital’s patient liaison service (PALS), but was unhappy with the response he received.
“They could not give me any answers,” he said.
“I asked them why they have these faulty trolleys in service.”
Just two weeks ago, Mr Ingham received the results of another X-ray he had following his fall. It showed he had soft tissue damage.
When approached by the Lynn News, Pippa Street, chief nurse at the hospital, said they are unable to comment on individual cases.
She said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality. However, we want to reassure the public that we take all complaints and concerns very seriously.
“Every piece of feedback we receive is thoroughly reviewed and used to help us improve our services.
“Our priority is always to provide the highest standard of care and the best possible experience for all our patients.
“We are committed to learning from all feedback and continuously working to enhance the quality and safety of the care we deliver.”
